In his archived blog, Julian Assange describes the History of Warfare:
The history of warfare is similarly subdivided, although here the phases are Retribution, Anticipation, and Diplomacy. Thus:
Retribution:
I’m going to kill you because you killed my brother.
Anticipation:
I’m going to kill you because I killed your brother.
Diplomacy:
I’m going to kill my brother and then kill you on the pretext that your brother did it.
Piquant, prophetic words in the light of the bloodletting proceeding the release of the first tranche of US diplomatic cables these are proving to be. The exercise of the serpentine craft of diplomacy will never be quite the same – after all, the US, who used its diplomats to spy upon their brethren, including in the UN, has been caught en flagrante. One would like to say one’s world view has been changed by the cables’ release, yet it hasn’t, it has been vindicated – global affairs managed by the hegemon are predicated on rewarding injustice, kleptocracy, avarice and sycophantic cowardice with arms sales and pandering, maintaining geostrategic imbalances which profit elites.
With the US baying for blood and Sweden in pursuit over charges claimed to be false by his lawyer, Julian Assange is now one of the most wanted men on the planet. Ecuador alone has offered him sanctuary, though now apparently withdrawn.
Here’s some significant cables of interest and news stories about the cables concerning Israel and Palestine.
Cables:
What Israel fears – truth and justice:
On 16 Nov 09, Israel and the US collude over follow up to the Goldstone Report.
DG Buchris also compared Israeli operations in Gaza to U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and stated that Israel would do whatever was necessary to protect its population. In response, ASD Vershbow recalled U.S. support for Israel in handling of the Goldstone report, and offered to share U.S. experience in investigating incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan as the GOI considered whether to conduct an additional investigation.
In the same cable,
Amos Gilad acknowledged the sometimes difficult position the U.S. finds itself in given its global interests, and conceded that Israel’s security focus is so narrow that its QME concerns often clash with broader American security interests in the region.
Two days later, there’s a hush up of US bunker busting bombs delivery to Israel along with other qualitative military edge revelations (18 Nov 09)
The Goldstone Report is a key threat (Dec 09)
‘Netanyahu commented that Israel currently faces three principal threats: Iran’s nuclear program, missile proliferation and the Goldstone Report.’
Netanyahu lies about Arab “Street” support for overthrow of Iran (really only 10% think Iran is a danger), indicates Israel’s ‘support’ of the PA and conflation of ‘peace’ with Iran’s supposed ambitions, (Dec09)
¶5. (C) Netanyahu said the West Bank had remained quiet during Operation Cast Lead because the Palestinians do not want to live under Hamas’ rule. He asserted that according to recent polls, Abu Mazen and Fatah would easily win an election, even in Gaza. Netanyahu stressed that he was not pushing for the Palestinians to hold elections, but was instead focused on promoting the expansion of the West Bank economy by removing both physical and bureaucratic obstacles. He acknowledged that the PA is “doing a good job” on security, though he added that PA leaders are not aware of everything Israel is doing to support the PA’s security. If we could add a political process to the cooperation that currently exists, we could get security, economic development, and peace. Netanyahu warned, however, that if Iran gets a nuclear bomb, the peace process would be “washed away.” Even Israel’s peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan would come under enormous pressure.
…
¶7. (C) Representative Israel asked Netanyahu about the timetable for Iran to achieve a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu responded that Iran has the capability now to make one bomb or they could wait and make several bombs in a year or two. It is important to bear in mind that the Iranian regime was exposed as a fraud during their presidential elections. The Iranian people detest the regime and have shown great courage
in the streets. The exposure of the Qom facility also helped convince doubters in the international community that Iran has a weapons program. Iran has a weak economy and a fractured political system, so it is vulnerable to sanctions. The time to act diplomatically is now, Netanyahu said, adding that we still have a year or two to stop the Iranian program. Netanyahu said he thought President Obama understands Iran perfectly. The Arab leaders hope Iran will be stopped, there is broad Arab and European support for “vigorous steps.” Chairman Skelton asked whether the Arabs would state their support publicly. Netanyahu replied they might not, but it would not make a large difference since the Arab “street” will not rise up in support of the Iranian regime.
Egyptian complicity with fostering collaborator PA – brief to Petraeus (July 09)
Soliman explained that Egypt’s three primary objectives with the Palestinians were to maintain calm in Gaza, undermine Hamas, and build popular support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. On Gaza, Soliman said Egypt worked closely with Israel to coordinate humanitarian assistance shipments and was encouraging the Israelis to allow more assistance into Gaza. Soliman said he was still seeking a “tahdiya” (calm) agreement between Hamas and Israel, but noted that Israel’s lack of a Gaza strategy and desire to keep Hamas under pressure made any agreement difficult.
US National HUMINT Collection Directive for spying on ‘views, plans and tactics of the Palestinian Authority,
including its representative to the UN, to gain support in the UNSC, UNGA, or UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for its strategies and positions on Palestinian-Israeli issues, including from Russia and EU countries, especially France, Germany, and UK; views of Secretary General,s Special Envoy and UNSC on possible settlement of the Shab’a Farms dispute to include Syria/Lebanon border demarcation; Secretariat views regarding water management as part of the Middle East Peace Process, including domestic and regional competition for allocation; Quartet views on Syria’s policies and approach toward Israel and Palestinians and on Syrian motives behind and efforts to subvert or support Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; UN efforts to influence negotiating positions on territorial boundaries, water resources and management, and right of return; views, plans and tactics of HAMAS to gain support in the UNSC or UNGA for its strategies and positions on HAMAS-Israeli issues, and on HAMAS-Palestinian Authority issues, including from Russia, China, Iran, and EU countries, especially France, Germany, and the UK; Information on UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) activities in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, and its relations with HAMAS/Hizballah; Plans and intentions of member states to support/oppose US priority to reduce the number of Middle East resolutions’. (July 09)
As the Guardian affirms, “Humint is part of the CIA, which deals with overseas spying overseas and is one of at least 12 US intelligence agencies.”
US State biographic reporting on Palestinians (Oct 08)
More posturing:
Lieberman tells Russia Israel was not intending to attack Iran while Russian Lavrov tells Lieberman the US attack of Iraq was ‘a “present” to Iran (June 09)
“Netanyahu insisted not one [Palestinian] refugee could ever return” (Apr 07)
In June 09,Barak describes Pakistan as his “private nightmare”, urged US to confront Iran – in July 07, Dagan previously saw “a Pakistan ruled by radical Islamists with a nuclear arsenal at their disposal as his biggest nightmare”
In April 09, Netanyahu’s vision of a Palestinian faux statelet – “without the power to enter into treaties” is revealed. He didn’t mention this in his unctuous Bar Ilan speech in June 09, whilst later claiming on 23 December 09 that ‘the Bar Ilan address last June had been difficult for him’.
Netanyahu’s excuse for continuing brutal occupation in April 09 – ‘if Israel withdrew from the West Bank, Hamas would take over’
Throughout the cables, Israel links ‘peace’ with Palestinians with the US confronting Iran repeatedly.
On 23 December 09, Netanyahu affirms this linkage: .
Netanyahu listed steps the GOI has taken to support Abu Mazen, noting that the PA is “doing a good job” on security. A nuclear Iran, however, would “wash away” all progress as well as undermining Israel’s peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. Netanyahu said that Iran is vulnerable to sanctions and urged the U.S. to increase the pressure on Iran, with like-minded countries if Russia and China will not support new sanctions in the Security Council. Netanyahu commented that there is broader Arab and European support for tough sanctions than in the past, although the Arabs may not say so publicly.
The myth that the “Palestine-Israel question is central” is also peddled by Arab dictatorships to gullible Americans – as long as the so-called peace process is a US priority, Arab regimes will continue their con job. (April 09)
On 13 February, 2010, Qatar’s Amir suggests
“Israelis are also using Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons as a diversion from settling matters with the Palestinians. The historical backdrop of Arab-Persian relations does not help.”
Amir also says
Hamas will accept the 1967 border with Israel, but will not say it publicly so as to lose popular Palestinian support. … Qatar can help move Hamas, because Qatar does not “play in their internal politics.” That does not mean Qatar shares Hamas’ ideology.
Kerry lays down the US terms
Senator Kerry noted that one of the biggest problems for Israel is the potential return of 5-6 million Palestinian refugees. The parties broached the return issue in discussions at Taba and agreed that the right of Palestinian return would be subject to later negotiation, pointed out the Chairman. If we can proceed from that point on the right of return, the Senator believes there is an “artful way” to frame the negotiations on borders, land swaps, and Jerusalem as a shared capital.
In November 09, Gilad suggests Egypt’s role in pushing reconciliation between Hamas and the PA is ‘not helpful and often counterproductive, but that he expects Egypt to continue floating the idea at future junctures.’
Did Sharon’s antagonism and tilt toward Iran in March 2005 trigger a reignition of the Arab dictatorships’ hostility against Iran? Sharon was concerned the US stance would move toward the EU’s.
‘The MFA’s office director for the Gulf states said that Israel would maintain its low-profile diplomatic activities, such as supplying IAEA members with intelligence material related to the Iranian program. She said the MFA believes that any overt Israeli pressure would backfire, leading to a surge of Arab support for Iran and focusing attention on Israel’s own nuclear activities.’ The US embassy noted: “At the same time, we should recognize that Israeli intelligence briefings will understandably focus on worst-case scenarios and may not match current USG assessments.”
“MbZ [Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed] appeared convinced that it was only a matter of time before Israel or the U.S. would strike Iranian nuclear facility targets. U.S. installations in the Gulf could be targeted by Iran in the aftermath of such an action, he warned. MbZ agreed with the USG,s tough line with Tehran and the Europeans. A nuclear-armed Iran would destabilize the Gulf region and possibly allow terrorist access to WMD. MbZ asked Lt. Gen. Dunn whether it would be possible for anyone to “take out” all locations of concern in Iran via air power; Lt. Gen. Dunn voiced doubt that this would be possible given the dispersed locations. “Then it will take ground forces!” MbZ exclaimed. Ambassador noted that the UAE’s Director of Military Intelligence, BG Essa al Mazrouei, would pay counterpart visits this week to CENTCOM, J-2, DIA, and CIA for discussions on Iran and Iraq-related matters. MbZ said he looked forward to sharing “contingency planning” scenarios in future conversations.”
Years later in April 09 , the UAE is rewarded by Clinton for its services to empire.
The Secretary expressed the Administration’s commitment to the U.S.-UAE Agreement for Cooperation on the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (aka 123 Agreement). She emphasized that our goal is to get the agreement completed as smoothly as possible. AbZ said that he is delighted with the progress on the agreement. He added that the UAE’s goal is to create a gold standard for a nuclear power program. Then, because of the strong commitments the UAE has made, it will be impossible to have improper use of its nuclear facilities.
¶6. (S) Turning to the need to be prepared to respond to Congress, the Secretary committed to form a State Department committee including H, NEA and ISN to work on the notification. The Secretary noted the importance of implementing the UAE export control law and continued UAE efforts against illicit Iranian trade and Iranian front companies. The Secretary encouraged action on nonproliferation treaty commitments as especially helpful actions the UAE could take to support our efforts. AbZ noted that the UAE would formally join the additional protocol on April 8.
¶7. (S) AbZ agreed that the August 2007 export control law had some “loopholes” and said that the UAE Cabinet “revisited” the issue last week. Otaiba said that AbZ had personally intervened to ensure timely action. Otaiba elaborated that the committee charged with implementing the export control law will have its first meeting later this month to begin operations.
¶8. (S) Otaiba noted that, even in the absence of a formal implementation committee, the UAE is taking action – citing a recent case involving German-made Siemens computers and a Chinese ship bound for Iran interdicted in port in the UAE.
In July 07 : ‘According to Dagan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States all fear Iran, but want someone else “to do the job for them.”‘
Noted that in contradiction to oft-repeated public claims, Mossad chief, Dagan denied the existence of Al Qaeda in the OPT in 05: ‘he feels that most Palestinians are not searching for “foreign flags,” such as al-Qaeda, under which to rally, because those inclined to do so are already being well-mobilized under existing groups in the West Bank and Gaza.’ (Mar 05)
Israel, a Promised Land For Organised Crime (15 May 09) :
Organized crime (OC) has longstanding roots in Israel, but in recent years there has been a sharp increase in the reach and impact of OC networks. In seeking a competitive advantage in such lucrative trades as narcotics and prostitution, Israeli crime groups have demonstrated their ability and willingness to engage in violent attacks on each other with little regard for innocent bystanders. The Israeli National Police (INP) and the courts have engaged in a vigorous campaign against organized crime leaders, including the creation of a new specialized anti-OC unit, but they remain unable to cope with the full scope of the problem. Organized crime in Israel now has global reach, with direct impact inside the United States. Post is currently utilizing all available tools to deny Israeli OC figures access to the United States in order to prevent them from furthering their criminal activities on U.S. soil.
19th Russian property in Jerusalem and the West Bank returned by PA and Israel [my comment: what about return of similar Palestinian property with deeds?] (11 July 08)
xxxxx told us that the return of historically Russian property in the Holy Land was a symbol of Russia’s post-Soviet cultural and religious renaissance. The properties, which had either been abandoned by the USSR or sold to Israel, would be used for facilities for religious pilgrims and tourists, as well as Russian language schools and clinics that would benefit local residents, including the large number of Russian-speaking Israelis.
…
The MFA was also considering establishing a consulate at the compound in Jerusalem.xxxxx said that at present Russia had only its Embassy in Tel Aviv and a small Mission in Ramallah to handle relations
with the PA. A presence in Jerusalem would help provide assistance to the many Russian citizens living in Israel as well as Russian tourists, whose numbers, presently estimated at 200,000 per year, were expected to grow significantly after the Russian-Israeli agreement to end visa requirements became operative in September.
Is this consular presence a toehold for future duplicitous assertion by Israel of Jerusalem as its capital?
Israeli is annoyed with the loss of influence of the military in Turkey (Nov 09)
News Stories:
Haaretz: WikiLeaks exposé: Israel tried to coordinate Gaza war with Abbas
Israel consulted Egypt, Fatah on Gaza war: WikiLeaks
Israel asked PA to retake Gaza after war – Ma’an News Agency
In Haaretz, Abbas denies he was informed about the Cast Lead attack.
Juan Cole on Israel’s racist moan about its jewish majority demographics being endangered by the threat of Iran which Israel itself beats up.
Richard Silverstein picks up several more revelations about Israel’s posturing and maleficence toward Palestinians from the cables.
Antoun Issa: Understanding Wikileaks
Robert Fisk: Now we know. America really doesn’t care about injustice in the Middle East. Fisk picks up on Netanyahu’s demonical concept of a bantustan Palestinian state mentioned above:
There’s a wonderful moment in the cables when the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, explains to a US congressional delegation on 28 April last year that “a Palestinian state must be demilitarised, without control of its airspace and electro-magnetic field [sic], and without the power to enter into treaties or control its border”. Well goodbye, then, to the “viable” (ergo Lord Blair of Isfahan) Palestinian state we all supposedly want. And the US Congress lads and ladies appear to have said nothing.
Woolly Days: Wikileaks cable reveals Syria’s price for US support
Democracy Now: U.S. Facing Global Diplomatic Crisis Following Massive WikiLeaks Release of Secret Diplomatic Cables Vid and transcript with ‘a roundtable discussion with Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg; Greg Mitchell, who writes the Media Fix blog at The Nation; Carne Ross, a British diplomat for 15 years who resigned before the Iraq war; and As’ad AbuKhalil, a professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus.’
But when it comes to governments, the old adage is spot on. With the WikiLeaks cables, we’re not discussing personal modesty. We’re talking about decisions with real implications for a world we all have to live in.
No-one wants to see Robert Gibbs naked. But, however embarrassing the US spokespeople might find it, WikiLeaks’s enhanced pat-down is a good thing for democracy.
There’s some junk that just needs to be touched.
Maan Newsagency: Germany urged US to threaten Israel with UN vote:
Two weeks before Israel froze most settlement construction in November 2009, a senior German official urged the US to threaten Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with diplomatic pressure.
German National Security Adviser Christoph Heusgen suggested that if Netanyahu did not agree to a moratorium, Washington could withdraw its support for blocking a vote on Richard Goldstone’s UN fact-finding mission report at the UN Security Council, US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks say.
Haaretz: The chief of Pakistan’s spy agency said he had contacted Israeli officials to head off potential attacks on Israeli targets in India, according to an October 2009 U.S. diplomatic cable.
Pasha asked Ambassador to convey to Washington that he had followed up on threat information that an attack would be launched against India between September-November. He had been in direct touch with the Israelis on possible threats against Israeli targets in India.
Antony Loewenstein Unleashed : Where’s the media’s backbone over WikiLeaks?
Assange makes no secret of wanting to harm the image of the US and lessen American power. Indeed, in an interview this week with America’s ABC he said that Washington simply wasn’t credible when they claimed the release of documents would hurt individuals.
“US officials have for 50 years trotted out this line when they are afraid the public is going to see how they really behave”, Assange said.
James Petras: Wikileaks, Corea del Norte y atentados en Irán
Cable Searching Tools:
I’ve now categorised cables regarding Palestine and Israel in pages ordered by date. These are accessible from the Wikileaks drop down at the top of the page.
14. 6. 2006: ALLEGED ISRAELI CORRUPTION AT KARNI IMPEDES U.S.
4.12.2008: GOI CALLS GAZA CASH CRISIS A HAMAS PLOY
3.11.2008 CASHLESS IN GAZA?
26.7.2007: APHSCT TOWNSEND RECEIVES ACTION PLAN ON PALESTINIANS FROM ISRAELI NSC
WikiLeaks: Israel aimed to keep Gaza economy on brink of collapse
These cables are examined by Aftenposten, which is now publishing them.
Aftenposten declares Wikileaks renegade status:
There are three cables related to Israel’s deliberate collective punishment of Gaza, which I will post next.
Another Aftenposten supposed Wikileaks cable:
Aftenposten runs an article on Israel’s plans for war without the actual cable linked. This is extremely irritating – Wikileaks isn’t posting the relevant cables either. The process is FUBARed.
WikiLeaks cable: UN Goldstone resolution: NZ is watching Europe:
HaikuLeaks / Cable is Poetry:
He added that there
should be ‘no blank checks, no checks
at all,’ for Hamas.
09DOHA502.txt
On Iran:
Mossad Mastercard numbers from their Dubai hit.
10ABUDHABI103 2010-02-24 10:10 Embassy Abu Dhabi
‘Norwegians in UNIFIL causing negative view of J’lem’:
Wikileaks: State Department Lied, Denying Dubai Asked for Assistance in Tracking Mossad Assassins
‘The Palestine Cables’: Gaza is a burning issue from Egypt to Latin America to Pakistan, to John Kerry being ’shocked by what I saw’
WikiLeaks: Does Israel have a deal with US to keep settlements?
09PARIS827 2009-06-22 13:01
The smoking cable: Israel said it had ’secret accord’ with U.S. over expanding settlements even as Obama said in Cairo they must stop!
07TELAVIV1732 2007-06-13 16:04
EA WorldView notes:
07TELAVIV1733 2007-06-13 16:04
08TELAVIV2745 2008-12-08 15:03
08TELAVIV1005 2008-05-06 17:05
07TELAVIV2652 2007-08-31 12:12
09TELAVIV936 2009-04-28 08:08
09TELAVIV1184 2009-06-02 13:01
09TELAVIV1688 2009-07-30 10:10
09TELAVIV2473 2009-11-12 15:03
09TELAVIV2500 2009-11-18 14:02
09TELAVIV2734 2009-12-18 08:08
09TELAVIV1324 2009-06-18 08:08
09TELAVIV2502 2009-11-18 14:02
The smoking cable: Israel said it had ’secret accord’ with U.S. over expanding settlements even as Obama said in Cairo they must stop!
09PARIS827: FRANCE MID-EAST DIRECTOR ON PEACE PROCESS
WikiLeaks cables: Lamb sales behind New Zealand’s ‘flap’ with Israel
Friday, 16 July 2004, 04:20 WELLINGTON 000605 US embassy cables: New Zealand PM suspected passport fraud pair were ‘Israeli intelligence agents
Daniel Domscheit-Berg Denies Rumor of Assange-Israeli Deals
Wikileaks – 07DAMASCUS409
ID: 07DAMASCUS409
Dokument dato: 2007-04-30 10:10:00
Release dato: 2010-12-17 21:09:00
Kilde: Embassy Damascus
header:
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RR RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHDM #0409 1201058
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 301058Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3398
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
Hovedtekst:
Monday, 30 April 2007, 10:58
C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 000409
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 04/30/2017
TAGS ECON, KBCT, PHUM, SY
SUBJECT: ARAB LEAGUE BOYCOTT MEETING: SPIELBERG DESIGNATED
REF: 06 DAMASCUS 05302
Classified By: CDA Michael Corbin for reasons 1.4 b/d
1. (U) Summary. The semi-annual meeting of the Arab League Boycott group was held April 23-26 in Damascus. Participation and results followed expectations and closely paralleled last November,s gathering (reftel). No companies were dropped; the one announced addition to the blacklist of entities is film director Steven Spielberg and his Righteous Persons Foundation. End Summary.
2. (C) The semi-annual meeting of the Damascus-based Arab League Boycott Office (ALBO) was held April 23-26. In attendance were diplomats and/or representatives from Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, according to Muhammed al Ajami, head of the Syrian Regional Office for the Boycott of Israel. The Arab League main body and the Organization of Islamic Conference also had members present, he said. Malaysia, Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia showed support (via the OIC) for the boycott, and they and other countries will likely implement their own bans following the ALBO format, Ajami speculated. As with prior meetings, the most notable absences were those Arab states who have signed separate accords with Israel: Jordan, Egypt and Mauritania, Ajami said. Djibouti and Somalia did not attend, despite earlier efforts by ALBO seeking to encourage their presence, said Ajami.
3. (C) No companies were removed from the list during this most recent meeting. The one addition mentioned was film director Steven Spielberg, who was singled out for his USD one million donation to Israel last year during the summer conflict in Lebanon, according to Ajami. The committee banned all films and other products related to Spielberg or his Righteous Persons Foundation, Ajami said. Generic enforcement guidelines given to ALBO members include the banning of DVD imports and airing of Spielberg,s films. XXXXXXXXXXXX
4. (C) Comment. Ajami was much more forthcoming with EconOff than he was in a November 2006 meeting, expressing confidence that the boycott was growing stronger and asserting that Israel,s position in the region was becoming weaker. Echoing what seemed like a SARG-supplied talking point, Ajami also claimed that Syria is now being recognized as a key player in regional problems and beyond. CORBIN
ID: 06JERUSALEM4511
Dokument dato: 2006-10-16 12:12:00
Release dato: 2010-12-18 12:12:00
Kilde: Consulate Jerusalem
header:
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHJM #4511/01 2891228
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 161228Z OCT 06
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5404
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
Hovedtekst:
UNCLAS JERUSALEM 004511
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR
WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/STEINGER; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS;
TREASURY FOR SZUBIN/LOEFFLER/NUGENT/HIRSON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS:
SUBJECT: PALESTINIANS SEEK PROGRESS ON RAFAH/KEREM SHALOM
AMA IMPLEMENTATION
REF: JERUSALEM 4472
1. (SBU) Summary: ConGenoffs, accompanied by USSC, USAID and
Embassy Tel Aviv representatives, met October 12 with
Palestinian negotiators from the previous PA government who
were involved in the negotiation of the Agreement on Access
and Movement (AMA). The informal meeting, the second in a
series of preliminary brainstorming discussions intended to
reinvigorate AMA implementation efforts, focused exclusively
on the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings with Egypt.
The Palestinian team pressed for Rafah to be open for Gazan
exports into Egypt; GOI signature of the Customs Protocol;
clearance of commercial cargo imports at Kerem Shalom by PA
and Israeli customs inspectors; expansion of the categories
of travelers able to use the Rafah passenger crossing; and
regular access of the EU-BAM monitors to the Rafah crossing
and of all parties to the Joint Liaison Office. End summary.
Rafah needs to open for exports
——————————-
2. (SBU) The Palestinians, led by representatives of the
PLO”s Negotiations Support Unit (NSU) and including former PA
Planning Minister Ghassan al-Khatib, raised the need for the
export of goods from Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Except
for a March 14 shipment of three truckloads of Palestinian
goods for a trade show in Cairo, commercial cargo has not
been exported through the Rafah crossing. The Palestinians
noted Egyptian President Mubarak”s positive comments to PA
President Abbas on the subject and stressed that the flow of
commercial cargo exports would be a significant boost to the
Gazan economy. They urged the USG to press Cairo to send the
necessary instructions to the Egyptian crossing at Rafah for
the start of commercial exports, even if only for transit
shipments through Egypt to third country destinations, using
the March 14 arrangement.
Lack of signature on Customs Protocol;
no clearance of commercial cargo imports
—————————————-
3. (SBU) The Palestinian team reminded USG representatives
that the Kerem Shalom crossing, per the AMA, should be a
temporary crossing for imports into Gaza from Egypt. Per the
AMA, after 12 months of PA customs officials clearing
incoming cargo at Kerem Shalom under the supervision of
Israeli customs agents, a third party would review the PA”s
customs capacity and make a joint decision regarding future
arrangements. The Palestinian team noted the GOI”s refusal
to sign the Customs Protocol or to acknowledge via letter to
the USG its applicability at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom
crossings. As a result, there have been no commercial
imports to Gaza via Kerem Shalom since the AMA was concluded.
A Palestinian contractor working for the European
Commission-funded ASYCUDA customs database implementation
project said the Palestinian side had submitted a proposal on
how to work at the Kerem Shalom crossing under the
supervision of Israeli customs agents but had not received a
response to date from the GOI. Though some humanitarian
cargo has been cleared at Kerem Shalom by Israeli customs,
Palestinian customs agents are not present and have not
received any data on the humanitarian cargo clearances,
according to the contractor.
Rafah — successful passenger crossing
but want broader use
————————————–
4. (SBU) The Palestinian team noted that the EU-BAM has
favorably commented on the Palestinian operation of the Rafah
passenger border crossing, the only area in which the
Palestinians have been given the opportunity to demonstrate
their capability. The Palestinian team raised two proposals
to expand operations at Rafah: (1) open the crossing to all
travelers, possibly with a 48-hour notification period for
non-Palestinian identity card holders, or (2) expand the
categories of travelers able to use Rafah to include
journalists and third country nationals of Palestinian
heritage, who do not hold a Palestinian identity card.
(Note: Per the AMA, only Palestinian identity card holders
and the four categories of travelers requiring 48-hour
pre-notification (diplomats, foreign representatives of
recognized international organizations, investors, and
humanitarian cases) can cross at Rafah. End note.) The NSU
advisors also highlighted the need for the GOI to provide the
PA with complete information concerning Palestinian ID
holders outside of the country, as called for in the AMA.
They noted that they have examples of Palestinian ID holders
who are not on the original list that the GOI shared with the
PA. (Note: Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in
the Territories (COGAT) Major General Mishlev gave PA Civil
Affairs Minister Dahlan a digital copy of the Palestinian
population registry on November 24, 2005. The Palestinian
side continues to note that the registry was not complete and
they are aware of specific names that are not included on the
registry but should be. End note.)
Access of EU-BAM monitors to Rafah and
access by all to Joint Liaison Office
————————————–
5. (SBU) The Palestinian team raised again the issue of
access to the Rafah crossing by the EU-BAM monitors, noting
that EU-BAM monitors can only access Rafah through the Kerem
Shalom crossing that the GOI controls. Even if the EU-BAM
monitors accessed Rafah through the Egyptian side, the
Palestinian team noted that Israeli control of the Kerem
Shalom crossing could prevent operations at the Joint Liaison
Office (JLO) at Kerem Shalom. EconChief raised the
possibility of a back-up JLO, should there be a problem with
the main office at Kerem Shalom. The Palestinian team noted
that there had been no discussion to date of a back-up site
for the JLO.
WALLES
Mondoweiss is keeping tabs on Palestine related cables.
“Can you extract something from the Israelis? Something they have already said?” Pandering idea for Egypt re NPT NPT http://cablesearch.org/cable/view.php?id=09STATE82013&hl=%3Anewest
Gideon Levy conflates Arab peace initiatives with bombing Iran!
Qatar, US and Iran (13 Feb 2010).
P.S. They’ll Lie About Everything
Ma’an Newsagency DOHA links
Politact on the Wikileak phenomenon
On the booting of Wikileaks from Amazon
Lieberman and his fascist SHIELD act
UK Foreign Office does not regret evicting Chagos islanders
Wikileaks loses its DNS server due to massive dDos attacks
Bernard Keane on Crikey: ‘Missing the point on WikiLeaks’
Guy Rundle on Crikey calls for better Wikileaks data manageability
Hurrah, someone’s getting part of the drift!
Jahanpour: US following Israeli 5-Point Plan on Iran: Wikileaks
From the cable itself – the cynical, cruel, Dagan 5 point plan (Aug 07):
¶10. (S) Dagan led discussion on Iran by pointing out that the
U.S. and Israel have different timetables concerning when
Iran is likely to acquire a nuclear capability. He clarified
that the Israel Atomic Energy Commission’s (IAEC) timetable
is purely technical in nature, while the Mossad’s considers
other factors, including the regime’s determination to
succeed. While Dagan acknowledged that there is still time
to “resolve” the Iran nuclear crisis, he stressed that Iran
is making a great effort to achieve a nuclear capability:
“The threat is obvious, even if we have a different
timetable. If we want to postpone their acquisition of a
nuclear capability, then we have to invest time and effort
ourselves.”
¶11. (S) Dagan described how the Israeli strategy consists of
five pillars:
A) Political Approach: Dagan praised efforts to bring Iran
before the UNSC, and signaled his agreement with the pursuit
of a third sanctions resolution. He acknowledged that
pressure on Iran is building up, but said this approach alone
will not resolve the crisis. He stressed that the timetable
for political action is different than the nuclear project’s
timetable.
B) Covert Measures: Dagan and the Under Secretary agreed not
to discuss this approach in the larger group setting.
C) Counterproliferation: Dagan underscored the need to
prevent know-how and technology from making their way to
Iran, and said that more can be done in this area.
D) Sanctions: Dagan said that the biggest successes had so
far been in this area. Three Iranian banks are on the verge
of collapse. The financial sanctions are having a nationwide
impact. Iran’s regime can no longer just deal with the
bankers themselves.
E) Force Regime Change: Dagan said that more should be done
to foment regime change in Iran, possibly with the support of
student democracy movements, and ethnic groups (e.g., Azeris,
Kurds, Baluchs) opposed to the ruling regime.
¶12. (S) Dagan clarified that the U.S., Israel and like-minded
countries must push on all five pillars at the same time.
Some are bearing fruit now; others would bear fruit in due
time, especially if more attention were placed on them.
Dagan urged more attention on regime change, asserting that
more could be done to develop the identities of ethnic
minorities in Iran. He said he was sure that Israel and the
U.S. could “change the ruling regime in Iran, and its
attitude towards backing terror regimes.” He added, “We
could also get them to delay their nuclear project. Iran
could become a normal state.”
¶13. (S) Dagan stressed that Iran has weak spots that can be
exploited. According to his information, unemployment
exceeds 30 percent nationwide, with some towns and villages
experiencing 50 percent unemployment, especially among 17-30
year olds. Inflation averages more than 40 percent, and
people are criticizing the government for investing in and
sponsoring Hamas, saying that they government should invest
in Iran itself. “The economy is hurting,” he said, “and this
is provoking a real crisis among Iran’s leaders.” He added
that Iran’s minorities are “raising their heads, and are
tempted to resort to violence.”
¶14. (S) Dagan suggested that more could be done to get the
Europeans to take a tougher stand against Iran. Under
Secretary Burns agreed, and suggested that Israel could help
SIPDIS
by reaching out to the Europeans. Dagan said that Israel is
already doing this, and would continue to do so. Dagan
reiterated the need to strike at Iran’s heart by engaging
with its people directly. Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts
are important, but more radio transmissions in Farsi are
needed. Coordination with the Gulf states is helpful, but
the U.S. should also coordinate with Azerbaijan and countries
to the north of Iran, to put pressure on Iran. Russia, he
said, would be annoyed, but it would be fitting, as Russia
appears bent on showing the U.S. that it cannot act globally
without considering Russia.
¶15. (S) Under Secretary Burns stressed that the USG is
focused on Iran not only because of its nuclear program, but
also because it supports terrorism and Shiite militias in
Iraq. The U.S. approach is currently focused on the
diplomatic track and increasing pressure on Iran through
sanctions. Work in the UNSC helps to define the Iranian
nuclear threat as one that affects international security,
and not just that of Israel. While UNSC members Russia,
China and Qatar will water down efforts to increase pressure
on Iran, it is still worthwhile to push for a third sanctions
resolution. In the meantime, the U.S. will encourage the
Europeans, Japan and South Korea to implement unilateral
sanctions against Iran outside the UNSC framework. The U.S.
will continue to encourage banks and financial institutions
to slow down their operations in Iran and financially isolate
it. Regarding military pressure, the Under Secretary noted
that the U.S. has deployed 1-2 carrier battle groups in the
Gulf over the last six months, and that President Bush has
stated that he will interrupt Iran’s activity in Iraq. As
for outreach to the Iranian people, the VOA is now
broadcasting programs in Farsi, and the USG is trying to get
more Iranian students to visit the U.S. to promote
people-to-people relations.
Jonathan Cook:
WikiLeaks’ harsh lesson on imperial hubris
Amazon drops hosting of WikiLeaks: senator
A word from Julian Assange’s Melbourne lawyer.
Hamas demands clarification about Wikileaks revelations
Political elite closes ranks – I said she would try to laugh it off, and here she is: Clinton says WikiLeaks won’t hurt US diplomacy
White House: Clinton didn’t order diplomats to spy
Meanwhile Putin is seething:
Putin Criticizes U.S. Remarks on Russia
Ecuador’s asylum offer turns out to be unofficial – meanwhile Christine Assange, mother of Julian, goes into hiding.
Julian Assange in TIME:
Julian Assange calls on Hillary Jillary to resign:
Canadian government advisor Tom Flanagan requests Obama assassinate Julian Assange.
Australian government bends over for the US.
FAIR makes mincemeat of NY Times spinning of the wikileaks cables.
Greg Barns on The Drum:
Important article – Amy Goodman interviews Noam Chomsky on Wikileaks
Why I Love WikiLeaks
For restoring distrust in our most important institutions. (By Jack Shafer)
Blogging the WikiLeaks—Day 3 – Greg Mitchell
To come : Flashback: Wikileaks chief said he has 5GB of secret docs on Bank of America
Glenn Greenwald : WikiLeaks reveals more than just government secrets
Holder v. Assange
The Grand Old Duke of York makes a complete tosser of himself in Kazakhstan in Jan 10:
There’s an excellent post on Julian Assange’s motivations and philosophy in confronting and nullifying the ‘invisible government’ here.